Acquisitions Anonymous - #1 for business buying, selling and operating

Bill D'Alessandro, Mills Snell, Heather Endresen, and Michael Girdley
Acquisitions Anonymous - #1 for business buying, selling and operating

Jump into the world of business acquisitions with hosts Bill D'Alessandro, Mills Snell, Heather Endresen, and Michael Girdley. We review real businesses for sale in each episode, providing expert insights, strategies, and tips to make savvy business moves like the pros. Perfect for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone interested in buying and selling businesses.

  1. 23H AGO

    The $9M Vegas HVAC Business With a Secret Inside

    A seemingly great HVAC business in Las Vegas takes a twist as the hosts uncover surprising details. Business Listing - https://www.bizbuysell.com/business-opportunity/keys-to-las-vegas-casino-hotels/2363607/ 💼 Sponsors: Acquisition Lab – Ready to buy a business but unsure where to start? Acquisition Lab, founded by Harvard MBA Walker Deibel, offers elite support for buying your dream business. Join a world-class community and access exclusive resources. Get your free consultation at https://www.acquisitionlab.com and tell them Acquisitions Anonymous sent you! Franchise Consulting with Connor Groce – Thinking about buying a franchise? Connor Groce is a franchise expert who owns and operates several franchises and helps others find the perfect fit. Join his newsletter at https://www.connorgroce.com In this episode, the Acquanon team dives into a Las Vegas-based HVAC service company listing—initially appearing as a promising deal with strong financials. With guest Travis Jamison joining the hosts, they explore the business’s margins, customer concentration, and ultimately uncover that the “HVAC” label may actually refer to a more niche and fire-safety-related service. Things take a surprising turn when they accidentally identify the owner behind the listing, shedding light on how critical relationship-based contracts and context can be when analyzing a potential acquisition. Key Highlights: - HVAC business listing with $9M asking price and $2.4M in cash flow - High customer concentration with large Las Vegas casino clients - Discovery that the business might actually be commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning - Concerns about the accuracy of financials and potential underpricing - Discussion on how relationships drive value and risk in service businesses - Financing challenges for businesses in the $5–9M range - Broader conversation on the changing face of Las Vegas and its impact on service demand Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inbox Advertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

    27 min
  2. 4D AGO

    Investing in Music Royalties: The Truth About IP Deals

    In this fast-paced mini episode, Bill, Michael, Heather, and Mills dive into one of the oddest listings they’ve ever seen: a $67 million catalog of Russian classical music master recordings.  Business Listing - https://dealstream.com/d/biz-sale/misc-recreation/lgbu2w 👥 This episode is sponsored by Capital Pad — the ultimate marketplace for acquisition entrepreneurs and small business investors. Looking to buy a business and need capital, or want to invest in deals with built-in governance and distribution structure? Go to https://www.capitalpad.com and tell them Acquanon sent you. 💼 Sponsored by Viso Business Capital — Get the right SBA loan tailored to your acquisition needs with Heather Endresen’s firm. Sign up for a free live Q&A on SBA loans at https://www.visocap.net and click “Zoom Sign Up” in the top-right corner. Is it a legitimate long-tail royalty stream, an opaque intellectual property play, or something much shadier? The crew dissects the risks, revenue unknowns, and underlying value (or lack thereof) in this high-priced cultural relic. With guest Travis Jamison from Capital Pad joining in, they explore the broader idea of buying catalogs and digital royalties as investments — from Spotify payouts to YouTube rabbit holes. Key Highlights: - A breakdown of a $67M music catalog listing — what’s actually for sale? - The murky world of IP valuation for classical recordings - Why Heather has seen music syndication loans before — and why it's tricky - The appeal and risk of long-tail digital income streams - Comparisons to YouTube acquisitions and how they might be a better bet - Speculation on possible geopolitical motives or money-laundering angles - Travis Jamison’s insights on marketplaces like Capital Pad - The value of diving deep into niche asset classes just for discovery Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inbox Advertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

    16 min
  3. JUN 10

    Buying a Helicopter Tourism Business?! Here's What We Think

    In this episode, the hosts dive into a high-flying tourism aviation business for sale in the Southeast, featuring helicopters, helipads, and hefty margins—with a healthy side of legal intrigue and risk. ------------------------------------------------------------------ ► Join 40,000+ business minds who read my newsletter: http://bit.ly/SmallBusinessMBA ► Deep dives on businesses for sale: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquisitionsAnonymousPodcast   ► Follow me on Twitter/X: https://x.com/girdley ------------------------------------------------------------------ 🎯 Sponsors: 🔍 Acquisition Lab – Founded by Harvard MBA Walker Deibel, Acquisition Lab is your fast track to small business acquisition success. Schedule your free consultation today: https://www.acquisitionlab.com/ and tell them Acquanon sent you! 🛠️ Franchise Ownership with Connor Groce – Interested in owning a franchise? Connor is a franchise consultant and expert with real-world experience. Join his newsletter at https://connorgroce.com/ In this jam-packed episode, Michael, Heather, Bill D'Alessandro, and Mills dissect a tourism helicopter business listed at $8.5M with $1.7M in adjusted EBITDA. Located in the Southeast, this operation includes two entities, strong margins, and a recent legal win securing exclusive access to a grandfathered helipad. The hosts debate safety risks, pilot recruitment, SBA loan eligibility, and who the right buyer might be—ranging from aviation nuts to strategic tourism operators. Tune in for a fun, thoughtful analysis of this high-risk, high-reward deal.  Key Highlights: - $8.5M asking price for a Southeast-based helicopter tourism business generating $1.7M in EBITDA - Legal victory secures exclusive helipad access, creating a possible local monopoly - Deep dive on pilot quality, aviation safety, and maintenance challenges - Pros and cons of SBA loan structuring for a capital-intensive business - Hilarious real-life stories of $20 helicopter rides and upsell pressure mid-flight - Ideal buyer profile: tourism veteran or aviation enthusiast with operational savvy Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inbox Advertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

    28 min
  4. JUN 6

    From $1.5M Profit to Fire Sale: What Happened?

    In this episode, Michael and Heather dive into a blue-collar print-on-demand business listing with one of the most brutally honest and emotionally raw seller notes we've seen.  Business Listing - https://quietlight.com/listings/16974795/?utm_medium=sms 🎙️ This episode is sponsored by: Capital Pad – The platform for entrepreneurs buying businesses to connect with investors. List your deal or invest in others at https://www.capitalpad.com Inzo Technologies – IT services built for small business acquisitions. Get your free IT audit at https://www.inzotechnologies.com After purchasing a $3.8M revenue business that once made over $1.5M in profit, the current owner watched it crash—financially and personally. From RoAS nightmares to marital stress and burnout, this listing reads like a business soap opera. Is there an opportunity buried in this chaos, or is this a cautionary tale for all would-be acquisition entrepreneurs? Tune in for a breakdown of the financials, emotional stakes, and our hosts’ final thumbs-down verdict.  Key Highlights: The business was acquired in 2024 and quickly began to decline.Seller cites emotional burnout and personal turmoil as key motivators to sell.Revenue was $3.8M with a 2.76x asking price ($1.2M).High dependency on Meta (Facebook/Instagram) ads and creative refresh.Hosts question the viability of turnaround, debt structure, and potential buyer strategy.Suggested creative deal structures for rescuing distressed businesses.A discussion on why this listing is a clear example of the difference between good and bad business risk.Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inbox Advertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

    26 min
  5. JUN 3

    A Car Transport Company Grows Fast—Too Fast?

    A fast-growing car hauling and truck repair business in New Jersey raises eyebrows and red flags in this high-revenue listing breakdown. Business Listing - https://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/automobile-hauling-transportation-company-and-truck-repair-for-sale/2319221/ 📣 This week's sponsors: 🚚 Capital Pad — The ultimate marketplace for acquisition entrepreneurs to raise or deploy capital with standardized, professional deal terms. Learn more: https://www.capitalpad.com/ 💻 Inzo Technologies — IT expertise for small businesses from a fellow searcher. Get a complimentary IT audit before you buy: https://www.inzotechnologies.com/ or email Nick at nick@inzotechnologies.com In this episode, the crew dives into a wild listing for a nationwide car hauling and truck repair company based in New Jersey that claims $7.2M in revenue and $1.2M in EBITDA in just four years of operation. With flashy numbers, minimal physical infrastructure, and a broker touting “strategic growth,” the team questions whether there’s any real equity value here—or if this is just a hustle built on a fleet of three-car trailers and thin margins. Personal car-shipping stories, freight brokerage economics, and trucking regulation shakeups all add context to why this deal might be more risk than reward. 🔑 Key Highlights: 🚚 $7.2M revenue and $1.2M EBITDA from a car hauling biz founded in 2021🔧 In-house truck repair shop claimed as a competitive advantage📉 Lack of exclusive contracts and questionable inventory valuation🧮 Freight brokerage economics breakdown, including Shiply’s margins💬 Candid takes on why trucking might be the ultimate red ocean industry🕵️‍♂️ Questions around customer acquisition, route stability, and defensibility🧾 Regulatory risks, SBA financing concerns, and the thin line between EBITDA and EBITSubscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inbox Advertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

    31 min
  6. MAY 30

    Buying a Quarry for $17M: A Rock-Solid Investment or Sinkhole?

    This week, the hosts break down a first-ever for the podcast—a Massachusetts quarry generating millions in cash flow and loaded with real estate and equipment. Business Listing - https://www.bizquest.com/business-for-sale/quarry-gravel-and-wall-stone-in-new-england-municipal-accounts/BW2188901/ Sponsors: Check out Capital Pad – the marketplace for small business acquisitions where operators and investors meet: https://www.capitalpad.com Looking to explore franchise ownership? Check out Connor's site and all his resources: https://connorgroce.com Episode Description: In this episode, the hosts examine a uniquely asset-heavy small business—a quarry in Massachusetts listed at $17M with $2.7M in cash flow. With a 68-acre land parcel, $6M in equipment, and 5.5 million tons of stone still underground, this business comes with significant upside and risk. They dig into USDA loan potential, specialty product vs. commodity rock dynamics, the implications of fluctuating demand, and how this type of deal might appeal to family offices. There’s even a fun detour into San Antonio’s wild Fiesta tradition. If you’ve ever wondered what it's like to buy a hole in the ground that prints money—this is your episode. Key Highlights: - Why a quarry deal is a first for the podcast in 400+ episodes - Understanding asset intensity and CapEx risk in quarry businesses - Revenue mix between government contracts and private clients - How to use USDA loans for large rural acquisitions - Real estate as a built-in exit option once the rock is gone - The role of family offices and what financing could look like - A 53% YoY profit spike—explained or not? - Why it’s critical to hire a specialty buy-side advisor for niche deals - Bonus: a deep dive into San Antonio’s Fiesta and corny coronations Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inbox Advertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

    34 min
  7. MAY 27

    Anchorage’s Best Kept Secret: A Snow Biz with 40% Margins

    Would you move to Alaska to own a snow removal business making $700K a year? Business Listing – https://www.bizquest.com/business-for-sale/landscaping-and-snow-removal-company-for-sale-in-south-central-alaska/BW2313996/ 📈 Big thanks to our sponsors! 👉 Capital Pad is the game-changing marketplace connecting acquisition entrepreneurs with capital. Whether you're buying a business or investing in one, visit capitalpad.com to get started. 👉 Interested in franchising? Connor Gross is the go-to expert. Join his newsletter or attend a workshop to find the right franchise for you: connorgroce.com CTAs: Website: https://www.acquanon.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/acquanon ✉️ Subscribe to our Newsletter and get more deals like this every week: https://www.acquanon.com/newsletter 🔔 Subscribe to Acquisitions Anonymous: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquisitionsAnonymousPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 🎧 Listen to our full episodes on your favorite podcast platforms: https://www.acquanon.com/episodes In this episode, Michael, Heather, and Bill dig into a unique opportunity to own a long-standing snow removal and landscaping business in South-central Alaska. With reported SDE of $705,000 and a 17-year operating history, the business serves both residential and commercial clients in one of the snowiest regions in the U.S. The hosts examine everything from potential moats and operational challenges to community ties and the feasibility of SBA financing. If you’ve ever dreamed of running a simple but profitable service business in a remote and rugged location, this one’s for you. 🔑 Key Highlights: - Business is making $705K in seller discretionary earnings (SDE) - Located in Southcentral Alaska, possibly Anchorage - 17 years in operation with a strong reputation - Five employees and a lean, high-margin operation - Challenges for outsiders entering a tightly knit community - Potential for carve-out complications in financials - SBA financing could be viable depending on buyer profile - Lifestyle considerations of living and working in Alaska Subscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inbox Advertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

    24 min
  8. MAY 23

    $2.4M Brewpub for Sale: What Are We Thinking?

    Would you pay $2.4M for a brewpub in Albuquerque? We wouldn’t—and here’s why. Business Listing - https://www.bizbuysell.com/business-opportunity/flourishing-taproom-for-sale/2345707/ 📢 Episode Sponsors:  📈 Check out Capital Pad, the platform for acquisition entrepreneurs and investors—standardized terms, simplified investing. Get started at https://capitalpad.com. Thinking about owning a franchise? Connor Gross is your go-to expert—join his newsletter or attend a Gateway to Franchise Ownership workshop today. Learn more below! In this episode, Heather, Bill, and Michael dissect the listing for a taproom in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that’s asking $2.4 million for a business generating $300K in cash flow. With the real estate not included, the team breaks down the economics of owning a brewery, dives into the intricacies of taproom licensing in New Mexico, and debates whether this is a hidden gem or a real estate play in disguise. Spoiler alert: the numbers don’t add up. From licensing laws to market rent assumptions, this episode is a deep dive into the realities behind the romanticism of owning a brewpub. Key Highlights: Asking 8x EBITDA for a taproom with questionable profitabilityReal estate valued at $2M not included in asking priceDiscussion on current contraction in the brewpub industryInsight on liquor licensing workarounds in New MexicoBreakdown of potential mispricing and market rent blind spotsPerspective on real estate being the actual asset over the businessThe risks of unsophisticated sellers and brokers in these dealsEvaluation of business scalability and margins in taproomsSubscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inbox Advertise with us by clicking here Do you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show! Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations. For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com

    30 min
4.8
out of 5
240 Ratings

About

Jump into the world of business acquisitions with hosts Bill D'Alessandro, Mills Snell, Heather Endresen, and Michael Girdley. We review real businesses for sale in each episode, providing expert insights, strategies, and tips to make savvy business moves like the pros. Perfect for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone interested in buying and selling businesses.

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada